Delphini Riddle
by Infinite Ravens
Summary: Delphi, born in 1980, was raised as a muggle until she receives a visit from a Hogwarts professor.
1. Chapter 1

_Five more minutes…_

 _It's only 5:21, I'll move at 5:25…_

 _One for Sarah…one for Chelsea…cream and sugar – easy does it…_

 _Breathe deeply…you can do this…you will pull yourself out of bed and you will make sure those children eat breakfast and – oh…oh, Henry how do I look after all of these kids by myself? Where do I find the strength to get out of bed when I know I'll never see you again?_

As the sun began to rise and turn the sky beautiful hues of red and purple, the minds of Number Nine, Aster Lane began to wake and form. All around her, Delphini could feel the nebulous clouds of quiet dreams sharpening slowly into consciousness – pressing in on her mind as she buried her head in her pillow. It was no use though, no matter how hard she pressed the pillow over her ears or how loudly she turned up the volume of her small cassette player – it was never enough to block out the thoughts completely.

They were always there, sometimes whispered voices of _thoughts_ and other times the hazy pictures of _memories,_ but always there – always warring for her attention and distracting her from whatever it was she was trying to do. Once she had forgotten she was cleaning dishes and had washed the same plate for nearly an hour while she had been distracted by a girl's racy memories of her boyfriend. Even harder than focusing on simple tasks like chores, was reading.

Now that the cover of darkness had been dispelled and the noisy thoughts of her new foster family were beginning to wake and take shape, she had no choice but to close her book and lay back on her pillow with heavy lids. Around her, her newest home began to stir with life as little Penny prepared coffee for Sarah and Chelsea while she fed the two young early risers.

Mrs. Taylor was still struggling with herself to get out of bed. All her will to live had apparently died with her former husband who had passed away a couple of days before Delphi had shown up with her case worker in the middle of the night, mid thunderstorm. They had been soaked to the bone and even though Mrs. Taylor had been glassy eyed and completely distraught she had offered them tea and towels.

 _One more day…_ Mrs. Taylor decided as Delphi slipped out of bed and grabbed a towel. She sighed as she stepped into the bathroom to shower. So today would also be another day without supervision and that was grand – she could use the fancy computer she saw in the study to scour the internet for anything related to mind reading – but it was also sad. Mrs. Taylor's thoughts were not ones that she – or anyone else, she'd wager – wanted to hear.

 _I could join you Henry…_ Mrs. Taylor had lamented often over the last week that Delphi had been there. She wished often and had more than once taken an old razor of her husbands to her wrists. Delphi had sat awake late at night twice since she'd arrived, listening to Mrs. Taylor's cries of sorrow and wondering if this was to be her briefest home yet. But, in the end, it was always the thought of the foster kids finding her that stopped her from pressing the razor in too deep or from only taking a single Valium at a time.

Mrs. Taylor was worried she'd turn them all into serial killers by traumatizing already at-risk youth with the scene of a grisly suicide. She wanted to go quietly, to fade into the wind like smoke – never dissected or observed and scrutinized in death. Mrs. Taylor's greatest fear was people recognizing her utter lack of remarkability in anyway.

She was not intelligent because she was lazy, she was not rich, nor particularly beautiful anymore. All in all, when Mrs. Taylor looked into a mirror all she saw was her utter lack of accomplishment or beauty and she felt so _old._ She had wasted her life – her youth away and now her husband was dead and she had nothing to fall back on.

Her life was destroyed, Delphi had realized one night as she lay listening to the tormented thoughts of Mrs. Taylor, but only because Mrs. Taylor had made her entire life around her husband. She had few friends and no true hobbies or passions to fill her mind while her emotional wounds started to scab over. She was wallowing and wallowing never helped anything.

"Good morning, Delphini," Penny piped cheerfully with a front tooth missing in her bright smile. "Help yourself to cereal, I've gotta get Ben into the bath."

"Morning," Delphini greeted as she made a beeline for the juice in the fridge. Ben hopped out of his chair as she poured a glass and went to take Penny's hand so that they could climb the stairs together. "Looks like it's just you and me then," she turned to the other young boy who was eating a bowl of brightly colored, sugary cereals.

He didn't answer. He didn't even look at her as he took bite after bite, mechanically swallowing as he stared into the milk. His thoughts were dark and stormy – a choppy sea of bittersweet memories, he missed his parents and he wanted to go home. Delphi shook her head bitterly and huffed into her juice before dumping it in the sink.

She didn't know if the ones like this little boy were the lucky ones or the cursed ones. The ones who remembered what having a family was like. Delphi had never known any family herself, it had always just been her and the endless stream of foster homes. Maybe it was her who was the lucky one, she had no great loss to suffer – she had never known and would likely never know anything about her parents. She could long for her parents secretly all she wanted but she did not _mourn_ them. Their absence was not a sudden jarring loss but rather an inevitable fact of life that had always been.

But did that also mean she wished to be cursed? She wished desperately for just a single memory…the boy before her could recall the sweet smell of his mother's perfume as she sang to him and he still remembered his father's strong hand tousling his hair affectionately.

She had dreams and he had memories, but those memories came at a cost. They weighed him down in despair and while Delphi had her mind set on becoming rich and successful this little boy wanted nothing to do with the world. Mrs. Taylor wanted nothing to do with the world.

Delphi didn't have time for the kind of grief that weighed down your soul. The next ten years of her life were crucial. In every adult mind that she had ever encountered Delphi had found the undercurrent of regret that tinged everyone she had met. Her teachers regretted settling into jobs they hated, Mrs. Taylor resented building her entire life around her husband – though she would never admit it aloud, it was always the same. Cokesworth was full of middle-class underachievers who resented their dull, boring lives.

Not her.

Delphi promised herself she would be different. She wanted to be an expert in something, somebody important and well-known – _famous_ for contributions to human history and rich enough to live wherever she wanted. She wanted to be great at something – currently it was math and the dream of becoming a famous physicist but last week it had been a diplomat and the week before – a surgeon.

It didn't matter _what_ she did as long as she was astounding at it – as long as people stopped whenever they heard her name like they did for Einstein, Churchill, or Shakespeare – names forever immortalized in history. She would work hard, travel the world – build herself a fortune and she would cling to the vigor of life with all her strength.

But the memory of that sweet-smelling perfume lingered heavily on her mind. Even as the older girls dragged their feet on the worn linoleum rubbing sleep out of their eyes and reaching for the coffee pot for a jolt of caffeine to chase away their dreams, Delphi was lost in the warmth of a mother's love radiating inside the boy who mechanically chewed his food. She was conflicted, unsure whether she was the blessed or the cursed child.

"Do you think she'll come down today?" One of the girls with mussed auburn hair asked as she blew into the steaming cup.

"Who knows," the other girl shrugged her delicate shoulders with an air of haughty annoyance, as if the grief seeping through the walls was merely a hinderance to her life. "Poor bitch can't even get up to brush her teeth. I can't believe we're made to stay _here_ with _that_ nonsense."

Her nebulous outrage churning silently alarmed Delphi more than her words. The girl truly lacked any empathy for the grieving soul upstairs, too distraught to even contemplate leaving the comfort of the pillow that still smelled like her husband's cologne. Would she be so callous if she could see and feel the aching void in Ms. Taylor's chest as Delphi did?

How easy it would be to be so callous when other's most personal anguishes were silent. Was it fair to dislike them when she was the abnormal one – the singularity amongst the normal. Sometimes it was so easy to forget that it was their self-absorbed callousness that was normal.

The smashing of the ceramic bowl and the startled screams of the older girls broke Delphi out of the haze of too many thoughts suffocating her. To her surprise, the little mechanical boy was crying and yelling all the while Delphi opened her hands and stared at the little crescent marks where her nails had dug deep into her palms.

"I want to go home," he cried as he stood abruptly, knocking over his chair. "I just want my mom."

His mind was an amalgamation of rage and grief – but it was alight with growing terror. As the girls whined about the mess of milk and the broken dish, Delphi's gaze travelled to the small boy whose chest was rising and falling in deep pants as he raged. To see him like this, so utterly terrified of death and losing his mum before he could ever find his way back to her, was about as clear an answer as she was ever likely to get.

And yet, if she was the lucky one…why did she feel so impoverished?

What did it matter anyway? Whether or not she was cursed was out of her control. There were no records of her birth or of her parents and not one of her endless string of social workers knew anything of where she came from. Time and time again she had asked the same questions and she'd always received the same answers. _There is no record. No one alive who remembers that night ten years ago. You were left at a police station on November 5_ _th_ _, 1981 and there's no names listed in the file._

And once they referred to her immensely thick file, full of documentation on disciplinary reports but sadly lacking in substantial information, they tended to stop caring.

There was nothing she could do and logic told her to stop dwelling over facts she could not change. Most days she could, most days Delphi was content to be the child-adult who was planning on making a life and a name for herself.

Today was just not one of those days.

Maybe it was the rain splattering heavily against the windows that brought about her melancholy. Or maybe it was the little mechanical boy with so much longing in his big heart. Whatever it was, the heady air was heavy with sorrow and suffocated her mental alacrity. Not much would be accomplished today, perhaps she should make some cocoa and fish out her battered copy of _King Lear._

Delphi was brought back to the mess in the kitchen when she decided on tea instead of chocolate – and found herself quite alone. The milk and cereal were still spewed all over the floor, the pieces of the bowl still lying haphazardly, and the chair was still on its side – but the others had fled. With a deep sigh she realized she'd be the one to have to clean up and reached for a rag.

Before she could make it to the counter, the doorbell rang.

"I suppose I'll get that too," she muttered under her breath as she left the mess and headed out into the living room.

As she walked she smoothed out her wild platinum curls and pulled the ends of her zip up sleeves down over her hands, feeling irrationally nervous. She had been here such a short time that she still felt like a guest in the house, it felt wrong for her to be answering the door to a house that wasn't hers.

But that was dumb, she told herself, because none of the foster homes had been hers. She'd only stayed long enough to get comfortable before being shipped off to the next. Besides, it wasn't like Ms. Taylor was going to answer, the poor woman hadn't even registered that someone was at the door.

"Hello," Delphi greeted the oddly dressed woman civilly and tried to maintain focus despite the harrowing emptiness that disconnected Ms. Taylor from the world. She took in the frumpy looking pant-suit and the out of fashion square spectacles with a mixture of humor and pity. The poor woman was probably from the church and here to comfort the heavily medicated woman upstairs. "Sorry, but Ms. Taylor isn't up for visitors."

"I'm not here for Ms. Taylor," the woman told her with a frown that creased her face unpleasantly. "I'm looking for Delphini Riddle, is she here?"

"People usually just call me Delphi," she told the woman as her focus sharpened and the thick haze of sorrow that lingered in the house began to clear. "Are you a new case worker?"

"A social worker?" The lady seemed aghast and her wrinkles grew deeper as her lips thinned into thin lines. "No, I'm a professor."

"A professor, huh?" Delphi almost choked on a laugh. "Well, by all means professor, come in professor."

Delphi stepped back and let the door open wide so the professor could step through. "Thank you," the professor said briskly, stepping in and for the first time Delphi noted the lack of coat or umbrella despite the heavy rainfall.

The professor was completely dry.

As they made their way into the living room Delphi knew she had to put her game face on. Government doctors were always egotistical and narcissistic but they were rather observant when they wanted to be. Yet the rain beat heavily against the windows and Delphi found herself unable to focus on the story she had repeated countless times. The professor hadn't been hit by a single drop of water, her maroon jacket was completely dry. Not even her glasses were wet.

But where was her umbrella?

The woman seemed uncomfortable under Delphi's gaze and she cleared her throat to get her attention. "Sorry," Delphi shook her head even though there was something niggling in the back of her mind, as if her brain itched. "Are you here to talk about Heather?"

"Heather?" The professor's frown deepened and Delphi watched as her face transformed into suspicion. "Who is Heather? Miss Riddle, my name is Professor McGonagall and I'm here on behalf of a school."

It was Delphi's turn to frown. While she was certainly smarter than her peers, she had never filled out any applications for school. As a foster kid, not only was she undesirable but she couldn't afford the tuition at a fancy institute until she was old enough to get a job. "What school?"

Professor McGonagall straightened her spine into a rigidity that made Delphi uncomfortable just watching. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she said very matter-of-factly. "I've come to inform you that you are a witch and that you have been offered a place to learn to harness your magical abilities."

In the half-second space between breaths Delphi felt realization wash over her. She could feel the sincerity of truth in the professor but there were no accompanying thoughts or impressions. Her eyes widened as she stared, focusing more and more of her considerable talent towards the woman sitting across from her but to her amazement, there was nothing. It was as if a wall separated her from Professor McGonagall. Never in all her life had she ever encountered such a thing and she eagerly pushed, trying to test out this new magic she'd never seen before. She had dreamed of it of course, almost daily she wished others could silence their noisy minds and _here it was._

The girls' self-absorbed anxieties, the mechanical boy's yearning, even Ms. Taylor's anguish faded away like fog as the sun rose - as Delphi focused intently on breaching the barrier. "Miss Riddle," Professor McGonagall gasped and Delphi reared back, her concentration shattered as the fog of sorrow descended over her once more. "That is quite enough of that, you rude little girl."

"I'm sorry," Delphi apologized immediately even as her mind spun. No one had ever detected her ability before. Sure they had guessed at it, some had even gone so far as to try and _test_ her – as if she'd be foolish enough to admit it even inadvertently – but no one had ever realized when she was actively perusing and not just listening. "It's just – you don't know what it's like. I hear _everything,_ all the time. I can't help it – but you… _I can't hear you."_

At her confession the severity of Professor McGonagall's expression softened slightly and her hazel eyes warmed. "It has been a very long time since I've met a natural Legillimens," she said with small, sad smile. "They are very rare. I had a friend in Brussels like you, she was the one who taught me some rudimentary Occlumancy, shielding my mind from Legillimancy."

Instead of the relief Delphi expected to feel her hands balled into tight fists, still hidden by the long sleeves of her zip-up jumper. There was an unexpected tightness in her chest as she realized there were others like her, others who could delve into her mind as she delved into others. "And I can learn this…Occlumancy at Hogwarts?"

"Heavens no," Professor McGonagall looked aghast at the very idea. "Occlumancy and Legillimancy are _dark arts_. The Ministry of Magic has banned the teaching of them." But her lips twisted into a grimace and her brows furrowed behind her spectacles. "But I suppose I could talk to Severus, you'll be needing to learn Occlumancy if you are to have any hope at all of focusing on your studies at Hogwarts and he does live a few blocks from here."

"A wizard lives in Cokesworth?" Delphi couldn't keep the incredulity out of her voice. Of all the places in the world, a wizard chose this grimy industrial town where the sun hardly ever shone and nothing exciting ever happened?

Professor McGonagall hummed lightly and nodded, "Professor Snape teaches Potions at Hogwarts, but during the summer he stays here."

"When I graduate I expect I'll live somewhere exciting – like Moscow or New York." Delphi couldn't keep her contempt of Cokesworth quelled. She had tried not to dwell on the dreary, dirty down too much because she didn't expect to stay long, but she couldn't imagine any wizard worth his salt staying _here_ voluntarily _._

"So, I take it you will be accepting your invitation to study at Hogwarts?" Professor McGonagall asked with a tight smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Delphi's own lips quirked up and she rolled her eyes, "Have you ever had anyone say no?"

Professor McGonagall shook her head, "I've been teaching a very long time and I've never had a muggleborn turn down their spot at Hogwarts."

She hadn't expected anyone would ever turn down a chance to learn magic. _Magic._ A single, two-syllable word held so many possibilities that her head spun. A thousand questions were trying to claw their way out of her but she could scarcely focus under the thick haze of sorrow that clung to her foster home. "What is a muggleborn?" she finally asked, as the next question, and five others, all lined up in order – her mind ready to absorb as much as she could. "And how did you even know about me?"

"Someone with nonmagical parents," Professor McGonagall explained with a sniff. "Some are born from long lines of witches and wizards and some are born from muggles – nonmagical folk. It's why I'm here in person talking to you, students who are raised in the magical world receive a letter on their eleventh birthday but I always visit those who are unaware of magic in person, so that they know it is not a hoax. Hogwarts has magic that detects the birth of all witches and wizards in Britain and that's how we found you."

All of her questions died away as a new one brushed them all away. On most days, she never would have asked. On most days, she was content by herself. But today was not most days and there was sorrow seeping from the walls, suffocating her…and there was a little mechanical boy remembering the sweet smell of his mother's perfume right above them.

Was she blessed or was she cursed? Did she dare find out?

Her heart began to race and her hands balled into tight fists as she tried to decide whether or not to ask. The professor had said she had been teaching a long time…there was a possibility. But did she want to know? Was she better off not knowing, was ignorance really bliss? Would she turn into the mechanical girl who hated the world and festered in longing?

It was easy not to miss what you never had, but once you knew…there was no unknowing.

"Did you," she paused, unsure if she really wanted to know – but the words continued to pour out of her without permission, "Did you ever teach anyone named Riddle?"

The telling signs of a lie were all there. Professor McGonagall stiffened, her color paled, and her lips thinned – and Delphi was already opening her mouth to call her professor on the lie – but she shook her head and when she spoke, Delphi could feel the truth ringing in her words. "No, I've never taught a student by that name."

She deflated like a balloon. All the air left her and the spark of nervous hope that had been kindled to life was snuffed out. She shouldn't have asked, she should have just left her parents in obscurity where they belonged. She didn't know if it was the melancholy atmosphere of Cokesworth, the grief of Ms. Taylor, or the little boy who moved like a robot and felt more deeply than anyone she had ever met – but she found herself unable to let them go.

And now she was facing the disappointment she should have expected. She couldn't keep doing this to herself, she had to move on. Nothing good ever came from dwelling on the past, she had a future to make. She wouldn't let herself turn into the mechanical little boy who would never be more than his anger and grief.

"I should be going," Professor McGonagall stood and her rigid posture towered over Delphi. Delphi stood, suddenly anxious and reluctant to let her new professor leave when she still had so many unanswered questions. She couldn't believe she had wasted time over ghostly figures who didn't matter when so many more important issues needed to be discussed.

"But how do I get to school?" Delphi cried in alarm as she fought the urge to take hold of Professor McGonagall's hand and pull her back. "And what do I tell the muggles and – you really haven't told me anything at all. Where is this school and what do I need? I don't have any money to pay for tuition or books –"

Her panicked rambling was cut short as Professor McGonagall raised her hands and bid Delphi to stop. "Quiet now, Miss Riddle. Hogwarts is in Scotland, it is a tuition-free school, and there is a fund to help the less-fortunate students buy their supplies. I'll collect you on Monday when I escort the other muggleborns to Diagon Alley. For now, let your guardian know that you've been accepted into a boarding school and I shall answer all their questions when I return. Is that sufficient?"

It really wasn't but Delphi nodded anyway and watched the professor leave with a heavy sigh of disgust. She couldn't believe she'd wasted time on people who were probably long dead when she could have been learning more about magic.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Diagon Alley

The weekend passed torturously slow. For Delphi, who could never focus very long anyway, the anxious jitters of eagerly anticipating the day she would journey into the magical world left her more detached from the world than ever. Twice she had completely forgotten she was mid-conversation with Ms. Taylor who was hardly up to more than sitting on the couch and several times at dinner the other foster kids had snapped their fingers in her face to get her attention. But all the grief that seeped from the walls and usually washed over her was scorched away by the anticipation burning inside of her.

She had completely withdrawn any attempts of getting to know her new house mates and had instead taken to locking herself in her room and taking long walks in all directions. Secretly she had been hoping to catch sight of the wizard that resided in Cokesworth but she never caught sight of anyone who looked anything other than perfectly ordinary…completely muggle.

For hours she roamed when her mind could not focus on the words of her books and she had taken to looking for a mind she could not read, an Occlumens. It was like looking for a needle in the haystack and she always came home with sore legs. She had found nothing and if Professor McGonagall hadn't told her about the wizard, she never would have guessed there was anything to find.

Still, when Monday dawned Delphi was awake with the sun and she dug through her closet noisily – trying on outfits and vetoing them just as quickly as she had put them on. Nothing of hers said, _I'm a witch to be taken seriously,_ and her hair was even more wild than normal. The curls she despised had taken on a new volume during her fitful sleep and she knew better than to try to brush them, it would only leave her with a tangled frizzy mess.

In the end she sat in the living room, in the stuffed chair closest to the door and dressed in her favorite black jumper and her old worn pair of jeans she'd decorated with different patches she'd collected. It didn't scream witch, but it did bolster her confidence. Her hair was a right mess, adding at least a couple of inches to her short frame, but there was nothing she could do about that. Maybe she could find a charm or a spell to tame it but for now all she could do was run her hands over it nervously, fiddling with the ends as she waited.

"Delphi," Delphi snapped to attention as a hand clapped in front of her.

"Sorry," she blinked and focused on Ms. Taylor's slightly annoyed expression. "What were you saying?"

"I asked what time your professor is due to arrive," she said in a tone that clearly indicated that this was a question she'd already asked several times.

"I don't know," Delphi confessed as her foot tapped impatiently on the floor. "She didn't say."

Ms. Taylor didn't respond but her impatience was clear in her tumultuous thoughts. She didn't want to wait, she wanted this meeting over and done with so she could go back to her bed and wallow in her grief. She didn't realize what a boon this was, giving her reason to do more than cuddle a pillow that was quickly losing the scent that made it special.

Delphi had briefly hoped that now that Ms. Taylor had made it out of her bedroom the law of motion would kick in. But it seemed grief defied even Newton and Ms. Taylor would lock herself away again as soon as she could. Not that that was any concern of Delphi's. The whole house was rotten with grief and Delphi was not having it. She was going to be a witch, she was going to be the best damned witch the world had ever seen and she wouldn't let this house full of sorrow drag her down.

She was blessed, she'd decided. She didn't have the baggage that weighed them down. She would soar so far above them that they'd cease to even exist to her once she left for Hogwarts.

"Well it's quite rude to keep us waiting," Ms. Taylor sniffed and her thoughts turned darker. It was now noon and there was still no sign of Professor McGonagall. Ms. Taylor was quickly running out of the strength it took for her to even sit waiting.

By three her energy was spent and she had stopped caring at all. "I'm tired," she said as she stood. Delphi watched as Ms. Taylor made her way to the stairs with a white-hot flash of anger. "Have fun today."

Then she was gone and Delphi was left alone with her thoughts. She had to remind herself that Ms. Taylor was _not_ her parent, even if she was her temporary guardian, and she shouldn't expect anything from a woman who couldn't manage to get out of bed without a Valium and a bottle of wine. This was not the first time a foster parent didn't care at all and it wouldn't be the last.

She only had herself to look out for her – the way it always had been.

Yet today that thought rattled her nerves.

At four-thirty, just as Delphi was beginning to think the professor would never come, the doorbell rang. Delphi leapt up and bolted to the door – all her annoyance and impatience dying in the space of a breath. She was already beaming as she swung the door open and came face to face with Professor McGonagall who was now wearing a floor length black dress with long sleeves and a black robe draped loosely over her shoulders. She looked like a proper witch and Delphi loved the way her bodice fit tightly and her skirts swayed around her pointed boots. "Professor," she grinned and stepped out, closing the door behind her.

"Miss Riddle," Professor McGonagall greeted with a tight smile and guarded eyes. "Was I not supposed to talk with your guardian?"

Delphi shrugged and looked towards the street, ready to go. "She didn't care to chat. I told her about a fancy boarding school in Scotland that had given me a scholarship and she seemed pleased enough. Can we go?"

For a minute, she was almost sure Professor McGonagall would demand to talk with Ms. Taylor, who was utterly incoherent at the moment, but then she pursed her lips and seemed to let it go. "All right, take my arm. We'll use Apparition to get to London."

Delphi did so and before she could ask what Apparition was, the most awful feeling came over her. She felt as if her whole body was being sucked through a straw and tossed in a blender. The world spun and Delphi felt her stomach revolt as her feet landed on solid ground. "I think might be sick," she groaned as she used the professor's arm to steady herself.

"You wouldn't be the first to throw up on my shoes," Professor McGonagall grinned as Delphi fought down a wave of nausea with sheer force of will.

She would not give in. She was stronger than her rolling stomach. She swallowed and breathed deeply, pushing it away and chanting to herself that she was not weak. The start of her magical career would not be puking on her professor's shoes. After a moment the nausea faded and she was able to stand on her own. "That was terrible," she said as she fixed her jumper.

"Yes, Side-Along Apparition is much worse than Apparating yourself." Professor McGonagall seemed distracted though, she was looking around until her gaze settled onto a group of adults with children clutching their hands.

Did she look as scared as they did? No, she could feel her excitement building again and her lips were already curling upwards.

"Come along, we need to join the others." Delphi followed her professor over to the group of wary looking adults. "I thank you all for meeting me here," Professor McGonagall told the group as Delphi took her place beside a girl with hair that seemed determined to defy gravity with its bushiness. "Now if each of you all will grab your child's hand you will the Leaky Cauldron on the other side of the street."

Delphi watched as the children took the hands of their parents. She was biting her tongue when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Professor McGonagall was peering down at her with the warmest look Delphi had ever seen on the stern professor's face. "Alright, let's go forward and journey into another world."

The Leaky Cauldron was packed with witches and wizards as they sat drinking from large goblets and smoked from pipes that lit themselves. There were a group of witches playing a tile game rather loudly but when Delphi leaned over to catch a better look, the tiles were blank. There wasn't much fanfare, Professor McGonagall led them straight to the back without stopping and out a door that led into a small, cramped back alley. "Alright," Professor McGonagall called for attention over the murmured conversations. "The trick to opening the gateway is to tap these three bricks with your wand in the right order."

Delphi committed the pattern to memory only a second before the brick wall began to move and shift away, revealing the warm and sunny Diagon Alley in all of its glorious chaos. There were so many people dressed in full robes and donning brightly colored hats. One wizard popped into existence right beside the girl with bushy hair and the woman holding her hand screamed. "Nothing to be frightened of, see Emma?" The wizard said and the woman grew deathly pale when she heard her name.

Professor McGonagall led the party slowly down the alley. Pointing out each shop and explaining what supplies could be bought there. But they didn't stop at any of the shops even though Delphi desperately wanted to go inside Flourish and Blott's and Mr. Ollivander's. Instead, they kept walking towards the slightly crooked white marble building standing at least three stories taller than any of the other shops in the alley. Professor McGonagall paused at the top of the steps and peered down the group seriously. "I must warn you," she told them gravely. "Gringotts Wizarding Bank is run by Goblins and Goblins are a stickler for manners. Please try not to gape, point, or offer them cheese." Delphi's eyebrows rose in surprise as Professor McGonagall let out a loud sigh as if she were reliving a particularly awful memory. "While we are here feel free to exchange your muggle money for magical currency, open a vault for your young witch or wizard, or anything else. The bank offers a variety of services that are not offered at your own banks. Miss Riddle, if you would follow me please."

The group moved as one large amoeba with Delphi at the forefront, just behind her professor. There were loud gasps as the short, hairy, beady eyed goblins came into view and Delphi heard one boy say, "Daddy, I don't like them can't we leave?"

It was his loss, Delphi decided as she followed Professor McGonagall over to a Goblin behind a desk. He was weighing rubies with fat stumpy fingers and wore a small pair of eye glasses. "Ahem," Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and the Goblin looked up. "Miss Riddle needs to be filed under the destitution clause to claim an orphan's fund and I have this," Professor McGonagall reached into the small velvet drawstring purse hanging on her belt and pulled out a letter tied with twine. To her surprise, she saw the twine light up with magic and flare as the Goblin grabbed it and looked it over.

"Very well," the Goblin replied in a deeper voice than Delphi had been expecting. "Griphook will show you to Vault 713 while Miss Riddle files her paperwork."

Professor McGonagall turned to Delphi and said, "I shall be right back Miss Riddle, please rejoin the group when you are finished and I will find you."

Nodding, Delphi turned to the Goblin expectantly. "Before you are eligible for the orphan's fund we need to check and see if you lay claim to any pre-existing vaults." He told her in his deep, gravelly voice. "It's just a precaution – after the war there were so many magical children shuffled into the muggle world that our system was terrorized by children who didn't know they came from magical families."

Delphi nodded quietly, her stomach churning and threatening to heave its contents as the Goblin motioned to small black box on his desk. It wouldn't move from its spot as if the bottom had been glued to the desk but the top opened like a ring box and Delphi found herself staring at a particularly sharp looking needle. The tale of Sleeping Beauty entered her mind and she withdrew her hand cautiously. "Well come on then," the Goblin growled at her, "I don't have all day."

Mustering up her courage, Delphi pricked her finger and watched as the needle slowly turned red and then lowered itself and disappeared into the black velvet lining. The box snapped closed and when Delphi looked at her finger, the wound had already closed leaving only a drop of blood on her finger. She sucked it away as the Goblin caught a scroll in midair that suddenly appeared.

"Let's see what we've got here," he growled and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Hmm, interesting, very interesting."

Delphi tried to lean forward and peer at the parchment but she was too short to get a good look. "Excuse me," she interrupted politely, "but what's interesting?"

The Goblin looked up and peered at Delphi over his spectacles. "It appears you do not qualify for the orphan fund after all. You have a trust set up in your name, Miss Riddle."

"I do?" She gasped, her stomach clenching and doing summersaults.

"Yes, should I gather another Goblin to take you down?" Delphini felt her head nod but she felt disconnected from her body in a way that left her fearful she might wake up at any moment back in Cokesworth – still waiting by the door for Professor McGonagall to show up.

"Snarlclaw," the Goblin called and a younger, though equally hideous, Goblin stepped forward from his post by the door behind the teller desks. "Take Miss Riddle to her trust – Vault 611." Then he peered back at Delphi with a puzzled expression. "Do you have your key?"

"Of course I don't have a key," she snapped, a little more harshly than she intended. "I didn't even know the trust existed!"

The Goblin merely gestured back to the black box and Delphi gave a loud sigh of resignation. She pricked her finger once more and a tiny, golden key appeared on the desk. "I suggest you not lose it again," the Goblin told her gravely.

Delphi almost snapped back at the teller that she hadn't ever had it in the first place but at that moment Snarlclaw interrupted with a gruff, "Follow me please."

With one last parting glare, Delphi marched after the Goblin and tried calm her raging emotions. The cart that took them deep underneath Gringotts was a wild, jerky ride that reminded Delphi faintly of a fair she'd once been to, but the joy of the adrenaline was lost to her. Her thoughts refused to alter from what awaited her in Vault 611. Her hands were shaking by the time the cart slowed to a stop and her head felt light as the Goblin demanded her key.

She watched as he scraped one long fingernail down the ornate door and heard a series of switches and pops before a small section swung open to reveal a lock for the golden key to open. The Goblin turned the key and the door swung open releasing a large cloud of green smoke that made her eyes sting and water. As the smoke faded, Delphi got her first peek inside. There were mounds of gold taller than she was – even with her crazy hair – and large piles of silver and bronze. But what caught her breath in her throat was not the fortune sitting underground waiting for her, but the old yellowed envelope sitting dead center – propped up on gold to catch the eye – with her name written in the most beautiful swirling hand she'd ever seen.

Tenderly, and with great care, Delphi reached for the letter and traced her fingers over her name. Tears welled up, threatening to spill over, as she turned the envelope over in her hands and found a deep green wax seal in which a coat of arms she didn't recognize was deeply imprinted. Careful not to break the wax so that she might examine it later, Delphi opened the letter.

 _My daughter,_

 _It is my most fervent wish that you never read this letter. As I write this you sleep next to me, a serene mess of dark curls that I fear you have inherited from me and sleepy smile curling your lips that knows nothing of the danger that stalks our family from every side. This letter is merely a precaution that I fervently hope you never discover because if you are reading this, then I have failed you._

 _A mother is supposed to raise her daughter – I am supposed to be the one to teach you how to tame your hair and curse the boys who pick on you. I am supposed to teach you everything my mother taught me, but I fear I will never get to see you flushed over your first potion or bright eyed after your first spell. I fear that our enemies are closing in on us and even though I desperately wish it were different – that life was different, please know that all I do is for you. So that you may have a future brighter than my own. I love you, with all my heart – I love you my darling Delphini. Though I fear I may never see you grow up._

 _With your father gone I am all you have left – and yet I can't help but fear that soon you will lose me too._

 _If such a tragedy comes to pass I cannot predict how or by whom you will be raised. There is no guarantee that my will shall be honored – in the eyes of the Ministry, I am a criminal. I have supported a rebellion with dreams of reshaping the world and we have failed. You may hear very bad things about me but I urge you not to listen. Tell no one of your connection to me or the powerful gifts you possess for there are treacherous enemies that will beguile you with falsehoods and attempt to use or even worse, kill you – if they find out who you are._

 _Work hard, my daughter. Study all magic and carve your place in the world as one of the greatest witches of her age. You come from ancient and noble blood, never forget that. There is a seed of greatness in you and even if I am gone, know that right now – as I pen this letter – I expect great things from you. Never settle and never stop chasing your dreams even when they feel more like burdens. Delphini – be happy, be healthy, and above all be spectacular._

 _With all of my love,_

 _Your Mother  
Bellatrix LeStrange_

When she was finished, Delphi clutched the letter to her chest and smelled the faint sweet cloying scent of roses still lingering on the paper. Tears streamed down her face as her knees wobbled and threatened to give out. Quietly, Delphi tucked the letter back into the envelope and tucked it carefully in the pocket of her zip-up jacket. She cleared the lump in her throat and turned to the Goblin waiting respectfully by the door. "Is there some kind of storage I can get to transport my gold?"

"I have a money purse – only a galleon if you'd like it." The Goblin pulled out a black velvet drawstring purse and Delphi picked up a piece of gold and tossed it to him.

He plucked the gold from midair and tossed her the purse. Delphi scooped gold into her purse blindly as she thought her mother. The mounds of gold meant very little to her in that moment and she knew she would have traded it all to have her mother back. The shiny fortune was cold and hard in her hands as she shoveled until the purse was completely full. It was probably too much – she probably wouldn't need the small fortune now in her pocket beside her letter – but it did nothing to fill the emptiness in her heart or dull the ache of loneliness.

She was a cursed child – she could see it now. It didn't matter that she had no memories of her parents, she was the same as the mechanical little boy. She sat stiffly in cart, endured the ride back up to the surface, and marched back to the group in the atrium. And when Professor McGonagall turned to her with trepidation in her eyes, Delphi felt her soul ache as she lied.

"Papers are all signed Professor," she smiled though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Sorry it took so long, I had to exchange the muggle money I've saved up. I even had enough to put some away in a vault I set up for myself."

Her mother's warning still clear and ringing in her mind.

"You – You filled out the paperwork?" Professor McGonagall repeated blankly. "Gringotts proved you're – oh thank the heavens above." Delphi watched, as her mother's words repeated in her head. _Treacherous enemies that will beguile you…_ "I mean, I'm very glad there were no problems Miss Riddle – they've had a terrible time as of late with getting the proper financing from the Ministry of Magic and I was worried you might have to wait to get your supplies."

The smile Professor McGonagall flashed Delphi was warm and genuine – the first since she'd shown up with pursed lips and hard eyes at her foster home. Her wrinkled hand touched her shoulder affectionately and the treacherous professor guided her out into the sunshine – all the while Delphi felt her future get heavier and heavier with each step she took.

"Oh, I'm ever so excited to get a wand," the bushy haired girl next to Delphi smiled as Professor McGonagall led them to Mr. Ollivander's wand shop. "I'm Hermione Granger by the way."

Delphi tried to return the girl's smile but it felt stiff and fraudulent on her face. "Delphi Riddle," she replied and the girl beamed.

"Once we're at Hogwarts we'll have to study together," Hermione practically radiated joy. "I've heard that Hogwarts has one of the very best libraries in the country!"

Delphi nodded noncommittally as they were herded into the dusty shop. The small hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as the feeling of something soft and intangible washed over her. "Professor McGonagall," the wandmaker greeted enthusiastically. "And the muggleborns, of course – of course. Step in please but please don't touch the wands – they can be terribly temperamental. So which young witch or wizard should we pair first?"

As the horde of children all rushed forward to be first, Delphi sat back in one of the chairs and tucked her hands in her pockets. Her thumb brushing over the envelope hidden from prying eyes. She didn't know what to make of her mother's letter. Ultimately, it left her with more questions than answers and she didn't know enough about the world she was born to, to quite know how to act. She wanted to know who her father was and if gone meant dead or just gone like a deadbeat. She wanted to know why others would want to hurt her, or even worse kill her. Most of all, she wanted to know what powerful gifts she possessed. Legillimancy didn't seem particularly powerful – if anything it was rather more a burden than a gift. It often left her unfocused and addled which wasn't something she particularly enjoyed.

"Is everything all right?" Professor McGonagall sat down beside her as the wandmaker hauled in boxes of wands from the shelves. "I can't help but notice how sad you look. Did something happen at Gringotts?"

Delphi shook her head and nibbled on her lip. "It was more like what didn't happen," she lied again and looked to the professor. "They had to test me you know, to see if I had access to any vaults. I guess I just got my hopes up that my parents were magical and –"

She stopped, the tears in her eyes very real and spilling down her cheeks in hot streams. "I've always told myself it doesn't matter – but I guess I'm realizing it does matter. To me at least."

"Oh child," Professor McGonagall wrapped an arm around Delphi and pulled her close, resting her chin atop Delphi's wild curls. "Of course they mattered, whoever they were they were your parents. But you are not alone anymore – your house at Hogwarts will be like your family. You will make friends and should you ever need anyone to talk to, I will always be there to help and guide you."

Delphi repressed her bitter thoughts and gave her professor what she hoped was smile even though it felt more like a grimace. They sat there for nearly an hour before it Delphi's turn to find a wand. "Up you go," Professor McGonagall smiled encouragingly, "go find your wand while I answer some of the parent's questions. I'll be just over there."

Delphi stood and made her way to the counter that was covered in dusty wand boxes and broken glass. Mr. Ollivander look up at her with sharp, intelligent silver eyes, "Ah, and yet another witch to be paired." He spoke softly but there was a graveness in his tone that made Delphi look over her shoulder to find Professor McGonagall completely immersed in conversation with the adults while the first-years were inspecting their new gleaming wands. "You know," Mr. Ollivander spoke slowly and Delphi turned her gaze back to the wandmaker. "I had a young Riddle come in once upon a time, many years ago – Yew and Phoenix Feather – a powerful wand for a powerful wizard."

Delphi felt her heart pounding thunderously in her chest. "You did?"

Mr. Ollivander gave her a solemn nod, "I did. Now let's find out what kind of wand you shall bond with, shall we?"

He turned from the counter as she nodded and disappeared into the depths of the shelves. He came back, arms laden with long, thin, and dusty boxes. "Let's try this one," he said, handing her a sandy colored wand. The moment it brushed her fingers the wandmaker snatched it away muttering, "No, no Larch is not for you."

Delphi tried all sorts of wands – Dogwood, Rosewood, Vine, and Mahogany, but each time the effects got worse and worse. She accidently made glass shatter and set fire to the curtains, there were strange puffs of smoke and one wand even shocked her hard enough that she dropped it on the floor where it spit out tufts of dirt that dirtied the floor. But as the pile for rejected wands grew bigger so to did Mr. Ollivander's strange smile. "Tricky, tricky…just like the last one. Hmm…I wonder – " he paused and gave Delphi an appraising look.

Mr. Ollivander disappeared once again into the shelves and then returned moments later with a single wand. Carefully, the wandmaker opened the box and Delphi peered over the counter to get a good look. The wand was beautiful – dark grey wood polished until it gleamed and the handle was intricately carved with roses. "Careful now," Mr. Ollivander warned her seriously as he gently picked up the wand by the tip and held it out to her.

The moment the wand slid into her grasp, Delphi knew this was her wand. A warmth settled into her palm and worked its way up her arm until her whole body felt warm and slightly dizzy. The lights overhead dimmed and faintly Delphi could hear Hermione saying she was sure Delphi had found her wand. "Hmm…" Mr. Ollivander hummed thoughtfully, his mood serious when she expected him to be elated that she'd been properly matched.

"Excuse me," she asked quietly, "but what's wrong?"

Mr. Ollivander peered down at her with his lips in a hard line. "Nothing is wrong per se, but the wand that has chosen you is Hawthorne and Phoenix Feather – a powerful wand. I do not generally place Hawthorne in the hands of novices Miss Riddle, do you know why?"

Delphi swallowed the lump in her throat and shook her head. "Because most wands have limitations Miss Riddle. Some have a flair for artistry but are not particularly adept combative magic, while others are more suited for dueling and the like but not particularly strong with say, healing magic. The wand in your hand Miss Riddle, is as much capable of healing as it is killing. Hawthorne is a particularly powerful wood and paired with a Phoenix Feather – that wand could do anything you asked it to."

With wide eyes Delphi looked from the wandmaker to the wand, gleaming beautifully in the lamplight and humming pleasantly in her hand. "If I sell you this wand you must promise me you will be very careful – Hawthorne is powerful but it is also quick to backfire if you are not careful."

"I promise," Delphi choked out, her voice low and scratchy.

"Then that will be thirteen galleons," Mr. Ollivander told her as he stood up straight and smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Diagon Alley Pt. 2

With wands strapped to their forearms the small group of eager young witches and wizards piled out into the street. There were cries to visit the menagerie and moans about the bookstore while Delphi gently tugged on Professor McGonagall's sleeve. The professor looked down with exasperated fondness, "Professor, may I go off on my own for a while? I saw a second-hand robe store back by the tea shop and I'd like to get some other clothes too."

"That might be wise," Professor McGonagall agreed with a hesitant frown. "I am sorry to say the fund isn't what it used to be. Alright, go on – but meet the group back in the Leaky Cauldron by six thirty, and no later."

Delphi promised and then shot off in the opposite direction. The group of muggleborns were herded into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions as Delphi weaved through the crowds to get to the trunk shop she had seen near the Leaky Cauldron. Inside, the tall muscular shopkeeper was reading a newspaper called _The Daily Prophet_ where the pictures moved on the cover. "Excuse me," she called and when the shopkeeper bent his paper and peered down over his crooked nose she continued, "I need to buy a trunk and a bag."

"We've got all kind of trunks," the shopkeeper grunted before laying his paper down. "There's your standard models that come with up to four compartments. Then there's your academic trunks that hold storage for potions ingredients and a library shelving unit. And then you got your explorer trunks that have a flat inside complete with a loo and a kitchen."

"Er, I'd like an academic trunk please," she said slowly, wondering how on earth one fit a flat in a trunk.

The shopkeeper sighed and pulled himself to his feet slowly as if it caused him great pain to do so. "Alright, what color would you like the leather and silver or gold for the clasps? We just got a new shade of pink in if you'd like."

Delphi wrinkled her nose and shook her head, "Black leather is fine and silver for the clasps please."

"Go ahead and pick out a bag while I get your trunk ready," the shopkeeper started to make his way towards the back of the room before he stopped and turned. "You want any enchantments? Self-shrinking, anti-theft, that kind of thing?"

"All of them please."

With that Delphi watched him turn and disappear behind a thick red curtain. She turned her attention to the bags that lined the walls on hooks. Some of the name cards read things like _Feather Light Charmed Bag – 3 galleons_ and _Expanding Storage – 4 galleons._ As she progressed further down the wall the name cards became longer and the prices more exorbitant. There bags that wouldn't rip and bags that repelled stains – some were charmed to have a cooling pocket for food and others had a special pouch for quills.

Delphi selected a black bag that's name card read: _Fully Charmed – 12 galleons._ It came with a warming pouch for hot food, a special place to hold her quills, and it had a weight charm. It was pricier than the others but she thought it'd be well worth it.

The shopkeeper returned a few minutes later as Delphi was browsing with a large black trunk over one shoulder. Deftly, he set the trunk on the floor and groaned as he leaned back up. "Right, so you got two compartments, a library shelving unit, and a potions storage cabinet. I laid on all the basic charms – the feather-light, the shrinking and enlarging charms, and the theft deterrents. All in all, it's gonna run you 'bout twenty-five galleons, thirty-seven if you want the bag too."

Quickly, Delphi counted out enough gold and stacked it neatly on the counter. When she was done the shopkeeper flashed her a grin. "All you need to do to shrink or expand your trunk is tap your wand on the lid. It'll shrink down to the size a matchbox so you can fit it in your pocket."

Delphi tucked her letter from her mother and her bag into the trunk and then practiced releasing her wand so that she could shrink it down. To her delight, it did just that and she slipped her trunk in her pocket next to the bag of gold. Then, with a bright and genuine smile, she turned and headed straight for Flourish and Blott's.

Flourish and Blott's was an odd store to be sure – with stacks of books that defied the laws of gravity as they leaned precariously and twisted into odd structures – but it was cozy and warm. "Hello," she was greeted by a teenage witch with dark blue hair and stars orbiting her pointed hat just above the brim. "First year at Hogwarts?"

Delphi nodded and the witch smiled. "Don't worry, I've been putting together stacks all day. I have a first-year bundle around here somewhere." The witch dipped below the counter and rummaged around, making quite a lot of noise until she popped back up with a stack of books in her arms. "Any other books you need? Or would you like to browse? I can keep these here for you."

"I would like to browse," Delphi admitted, "but I also am looking for books on a person, do you think you could help me?"

The witch smiled kindly and nodded, "No problem kid, who ya lookin' for? We got all sorts of biographies."

"I'm looking for a witch named Bellatrix LeStrange, have you heard of her?" Delphi needn't have asked. The happy smile on the blue-haired witch's lips fell and that was answer enough.

"Why would you be wanting to read about _her_?" Delphi bristled but tried her best not let it show.

"I just would," she bit out, unable to think of a plausible reason and unwilling to tell the girl that Bellatrix was her mother. "Can you help me or not?"

"Easy there," the witch held up her hands. "I'm not saying I can't – it's just an awfully depressing topic is all. You sure you wouldn't rather read about Merlin or we did just get a new book about Wendelin the Weird."

"I'm sure," Delphi replied coolly.

"Alright I guess," the witch shrugged. "It's your money. We don't have any biographies on _her_ but there are some books that she's mentioned in. _A Modern Magical History_ for one, oh I think she also has a chapter in _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts._ Hmm, what else…oh yes, there's a brief background on her in _Almanac of Artistry – the Most Transcendental Transfiguration._ Which one would you like?"

Delphi didn't even pause to consider before she said, "All of them."

If anything, her answer only made the blue-haired witch leerier, but after only a brief hesitation the witch went to work and started combing through shelves. Delphi turned and began browsing the shelves nearest her which turned out to be full of curses. She grabbed _Curses and Counter-Curses, Compendium of Curses,_ and as she turned one more book caught her eye, _Hogwarts, a History_ was on display on a table near the stairs.

Taking her selections, Delphi waited patiently by the register and slipped her books onto the counter near her school texts. The witch returned with three large tomes and plopped them down on top the stack Delphi had added with a thundering noise. "Any other requests?"

Delphi thought for a moment before she responded quietly. "Are there any on a wizard named Riddle?"

"Not that I know of," the girl responded coolly.

"Then no, this is all."

Delphi watched as the girl's brows rose when she found the books on curses in Delphi's stack but she didn't say anything. Most likely she was ready for Delphi to be out of her hair. Delphi counted more gold out of her purse, realizing she had much, much more than she needed and stored her books in her trunk's main compartment. Once everything was shrunk and safely stowed in her pocket, Delphi headed across the street to Scribbulus' Writing Instruments where she purchased fancy quills with long beautiful feathers and more parchment than she could possibly use. She knew she would need extra to practice writing with a quill and ink when she was so used to writing with pencils and ballpoint pens.

Her next stop was Slug and Jigger's Apothecary where the shopkeeper, who wasn't very busy if his empty shop was anything to go by, showed her how to pick the best ingredients. Delphi got two cauldrons along with her ingredients, a small pewter cauldron that her list called for and a silver self-stirring cauldron for her. She collected supplies all over the Alley, from a model of the galaxy that shone and turned for her perusal to a few bars of the sweetshop's dark chocolate.

Finally, Delphi was left with her robes and a pet with over an hour until she had to meet Professor McGonagall back at the Leaky Cauldron. Delphi chose to get her robes first and headed into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. The herd of first-years following Professor McGonagall was no where to be seen thankfully and Delphi was promptly shown to a small platform next to a boy with wildly curly dark brown hair and sky-blue eyes.

"Alright dearie," the matronly witch who shooed her up onto the platform cooed. "Hold your arms out nice and big, that's right and now spread your legs apart – that's it. Now I'll leave my tapes to get your measurements and I'll be back when it's done."

With that she was gone, off to help a very blonde witch who was thumbing through fabrics on the other side of the store. "Is that your mum?" Delphi asked the boy next to her with a nod of her head towards the witch with Madam Malkin.

"Yes, she's trying to find a suitable gown for the Ministry gala this weekend," the boy told her as the measuring tape wrapped around his head.

"That's nice. Are you about to start Hogwarts as well?" Her own measuring tape decided right then was the perfect time to measure the inside of her legs and Delphi fought down a blush.

"Yes, I expect I'll be a Slytherin – most of my family has been. Though, my Uncle Evan was a Ravenclaw." The boy paused and looked over to her, eyeing her jeans with something close to distaste. "Has any of your family been to Hogwarts?"

Delphi hesitated, wanting dearly to claim her mother loudly and to all that would hear her. But her mother's warning kept bouncing around in her mind and she shook her head. "No, I'll be the first. I'm a muggleborn." The lie was bitter on her tongue and Delphi looked away from the boy's blue gaze. She was sure he probably had heard of her mother if the witch in the bookshop was anything to go by and she wanted to know all she could about her family as fast she could.

But there was danger lurking in this shiny new world and she didn't have the knowledge to perceive it yet. It was best to go slow, to find out all she could on her own before asking questions that bring unwanted attention down on her.

' _Such a shame – she's pretty. Mother would have a coronary if she knew I was talking to a muggleborn.'_

It wasn't the first time Delphi had slipped into the minds of her peers but she was thankful that it was much easier to stay out of the minds of witches and wizards than it was of muggles. Muggles thoughts felt like cold clammy hands grabbing at her – trying to drown her in a sea of turmoil. Witches and wizards didn't feel that way though, their minds were lighter and brighter – they didn't pull her attention away but rather just sort of nudged her with their presence with more abstract feelings and nebulous intent than actual thoughts.

"So what do your parents do?" Delphi asked when she could think of nothing else to say.

"Do?" The boy repeated wryly with a twist of his lips that Delphi was sure wasn't a smile. "Well my father is in Azkaban so he doesn't _do_ much of anything. Mother attends to the demands of our position but she doesn't actually _work._ "

"Oh," Delphi replied rather dumbly. She wasn't sure what Azkaban was and she wasn't sure if it was polite or not to ask. She decided to risk it. "Sorry, but what is Azkaban?"

"A prison," the boy replied darkly.

The tape measure measuring the boy dropped onto the floor and he glanced down at it before kicking it away. "Well it was nice to meet you – er, I never caught your name."

"Delphi Riddle," she gave him a polite smile and held out her hand as the tape measure wound around her neck.

"Theodore Nott," the boy replied, gently shaking her hand with manners that impressed her. "I guess I'll see you at Hogwarts, Delphi."

"Bye!" she called after him but he crossed the shop with long, lanky legs and Delphi was left by herself.

Theodore Nott and his mother had left the shop by the time the tape measures measuring Delphi dropped to the ground. Madam Malkin came over in a flurry of large skirts and clucked her tongue. "Looks like you're done dearie. Now, are you just wanting the Hogwarts attire?"

Delphi shook her head. "No, you see I'm a muggleborn so I only have muggle clothes."

Madam Malkin was quick to catch on and flashed a sympathetic smile to the her. "And you'll be wanting a magical wardrobe then, is that it dearie?"

"Yes ma'am," Delphi nodded, thankful the woman didn't seem put off by her request.

"Well," Madam Malkin led Delphi over to the counter. "First, I'll need to know how much gold I'm working with."

With one hand Delphi withdrew her money pouch and set it on the counter for Madam Malkin to inspect. "This is all I have on me, but there's more in Gringotts if I need it."

Madam Malkin's brows rose high into her curled bangs as she glanced up at Delphi and back to the pouch of gold. "Not to worry dearie, there's more than enough here to get you looking like a proper young witch. Now, you hold on to that," she slid the purse back to Delphi, "and let's go browse together shall we?"

Taken under the gentle, kind wing of Madam Malkin – Delphi was led around the store to see fabrics and modelled dresses. "Now I know you're wearing jeans – muggles are quite fond of them, but witches don't generally wear pants. It's regarded as more of a masculine type of dress, unless of course you're dueling in the High Circuits. Would you rather stick to pants? If you would I could make some slacks…"

"No," Delphi answered quickly. "I'd like magical fashion – I don't want to stick out more than I already do."

An hour later and her trunk's second compartment full of new clothes, Delphi exited Madam Malkin's with a much lighter purse. She only had twenty minutes left before she was to head back to the Leaky Cauldron so she sprinted across the Alley and ducked into the Magical Menagerie. The shop smelled like a barn and there owls up in the rafters that would swoop down and watch the mice playing jump rope with their tails hungrily.

Delphi browsed even though she knew she was limited on time. She just couldn't get enough of the little balls of rainbow fluff that were called Puffskeins or giant orange snails that crawled up their glass walls leaving trails of neon goo in their wake. There were normal cats that played in their area and super-smart magical cats called Kneazles that wandered around, sometimes taunting and stalking the owls that swooped down.

But as fantastic as the beasts were, Delphi found her gaze repeatedly drawn to large black Raven that nearly three feet tall. It had beautiful glossy black feathers, a sharp beak that looked dangerous, and sharp intelligent black eyes. When Delphi approached the bird, it turned to her with its black eyes and cawed loudly. "Hey there," Delphi greeted the bird in a soothing tone. "You are gorgeous, aren't you?"

The bird ruffled its feathers and puffed up proudly. Delphi grinned and reached out one curled finger slowly to stroke the soft feather just below its beak. The bird preened under her touch and elongated its neck so that she could stroke it. "Aw, you are a beautiful bird. I'm looking for a pet you know," Delphi murmured as she slowly stepped closer and brushed the whole back of her hand against the black glossy feathers. "Would you like to come home with me? It's not much – I live in the muggle world for now. But soon I'll be off to a magic school and there will be all sorts of new sights for you to see."

The raven cawed loudly and nipped affectionately at her finger. Delphi grinned and pressed a kiss to its beak. "Alright my new friend, hop on and we'll blow this place." Holding out her arm, Delphi watched with a large smile as the raven hopped from its perch and landed gracefully on her arm.

"Excuse me," Delphi called out as she reached the counter and found it empty. "I'd like to buy this Raven please."

A dirt smudged face popped out from behind a thick curtain behind the counter and grinned at her before the man came though all the way. "She's a right picky bird miss – damn thing nearly took my finger off the other day. You sure?"

"I'm sure," Delphi told the man confidently as she used her left hand to stroke under her bird's beak. "How much is she?"

"Ravens are our most intelligent birds – wicked smart and can outfly an owl. She'll live damn near fifty years if you treat her right and take care of her." The man told her with a proud smile. "Couldn't have picked a better pet or mail carrier. She's twenty galleons plus you'll need a cage. So, twenty-five after all is said and done.

Delphi left the Magical Menagerie with a large smile and her raven on her arm. As she walked back to the Leaky Cauldron – ten minutes late, much to her chagrin – she started thinking of names.

Professor McGonagall was not happy when Delphi turned up but when she caught sight of the large bird on her arm, her professor gave a reluctant grin. "A good choice Miss Riddle, ravens are exceptionally bright pets and they make fine companions. I once taught a raven how to say spells – long ago when I was new to teaching. It really bothered the students that an animal knew more spells than they did."

"Ohhh," Hermione cried as she hopped up from the table and rushed to Delphi. "Oh, she's gorgeous Delphi. What will you name her?"

"I was thinking Pandora," Delphi grinned proudly and looked to her bird. Pandora had puffed herself up proudly and was preening under the attention.

"Oh, she's wonderful," Hermione sighed wistfully. "I so wanted to go in to the Magical Menagerie but mother saw a snake with a ruby in its head and refused to go in. Father says he'll take me next year and let me pick out a pet."

"Yes, yes, girls," Professor McGonagall jumped in and patted Hermione's shoulder affectionately. "You'll have plenty of time to catch up at Hogwarts or perhaps Miss Riddle could write to you over the rest of summer but for now we must be going or I'll be late for a staff meeting tonight."

Hermione and the other muggleborns piled into their parent's cars as Professor McGonagall held out her arm. "Alright, I live in Cokesworth," she told Pandora who listened to her with her intelligent gaze looking right at her. "You can either fly there and find me or you can try Apparating with the Professor and I."

Pandora squawked loudly and used Delphi's arm to push off, taking flight with her long wings. Delphi watched until Pandora was out of sight before taking Professor McGonagall's arm. "Alright Professor, let's go."

Landing on both feet and not retching was quite a feat that Delphi was proud of when she and the professor appeared in Cokesworth. Only, as her nausea faded – quicker this time, much to her delight – Delphi realized they weren't in front of her foster home. Instead they in front of a dreary townhome with a black door that had had a silver snake's head with a large hoop through its mouth as a knocker. "Professor?" Delphi asked as Professor McGonagall stepped forward and knocked three times. "Where are we?"

Before she could answer, the door swung open and man with oily black, chin length hair and obsidian eyes, was revealed. "Minerva," he greeted in a low growl, "you're late. Albus expects us for conference at seven."

"Oh Severus," Professor McGonagall sighed and Delphi thought she sounded like she wanted to roll her eyes. "You know how the muggleborns are – overzealous and reluctant to leave."

"Hey," Delphi growled as her professor laughed.

"My apologies Miss Riddle," Professor McGonagall grinned with her eyes shining in mirth. "This is Professor Severus Snape, he will be your Potions Master at Hogwarts."

Delphi eyed Professor Snape and his black robes that clung tightly around his chest and arms while his cloak billowed around him like they were wings. "Are you the one who's going to teach me Occlumancy?"

"Indeed, he is Miss Riddle," Professor McGonagall smiled down at her. "Professor Snape here has agreed to meet with you three times a week – for an hour and half each time – until school begins."

Delphi looked to Professor Snape and shot him a thankful smile. "Thank you, sir, you wouldn't believe how awful it is having muggles drag your attention in a hundred different directions."

"I believe I am well aware Miss Riddle," Professor Snape snapped at her. Delphi's spine stiffened as Professor McGonagall clenched her shoulder tighter in warning. "We will meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at five o'clock sharp. I do not permit tardiness; do I make myself clear?"

Delphi nearly scowled at the bitter, angry man but she managed to nod. "Yes, sir."

"Very well," Professor Snape sneered. "Do you know how to get home from here?"

Her immediate response was to say no, however as Delphi looked around she was surprised to find that she _did_ know where she was. She passed by this exact spot multiple times on her walks in search of the mysterious wizard in Cokesworth. Honestly, she almost wished she hadn't met him. He was much more likable when she didn't know him. "I do, sir," she told him sounding as surprised as she felt.

"Very well, go home and I will see you on Wednesday."

Turning and making her way back down the steps, Delphi heard Professor McGonagall say, "Really Severus, must you be so –" and then her voice cut off as the door to Professor Snape's house shut behind her.

Delphi stopped on the sidewalk and turned to glare at the door the two professors had just disappeared into before sighing. She had too much to think about already without adding Professor Snape into the mix. She turned reluctantly and headed back to her foster home.


End file.
